I figured that Jonathan Sanchez would have outings where he bordered on horrible. His lack of command combined with his electric pitches, mean he can strikeout a ton of hitters while giving away free bases. It’s like he’s a member of the Flying Wallendas.

Sanchez entered the game averaging 89.6 mph on his fastball this year. On Tuesday in Cleveland, 89 mph was his maximum velocity as he averaged just 87.2 mph. To go along with the drop in speed, Sanchez is moving away from that pitch. Of the 115 magnificent pitches he threw, only 30 of them were classified as fastballs. That’s just 26 percent. Unreal. He’s going away from the fastball in favor of his change-up. As Hudler pointed out in the key at bat against Jack Hannahan, when Sanchez is throwing almost exclusively off speed stuff, they just wait… And wait… And wait.

Sigh. More on that plate appearance in a moment.

Not that Sanchez is any kind of great pitcher. He’s not… Because he can’t locate consistently. However, it’s baffling as to why he would move away from the fastball. Is this a coaching call? Or is this something he’s doing on his own? In the postgame, he simply said he “didn’t have his fastball.” Velocity, location… All of the above. I suppose in the grand scheme it’s accurate that he didn’t have his fastball. He didn’t generate a single swing and miss of the 30 he threw and only 12 of them were strikes. That’s just a brutal pitch. Here’s his velocity chart from Tuesday, courtesy of Brooks Baseball.

That’s the profile of a starter who didn’t leave the bullpen with a full tank of gas.

So the game on Tuesday can be boiled down to two key moments. The first, I already alluded to – the Sanchez matchup against Hannahan with runners at the corners with two down and the Royals trailing by a run.

At that moment Sanchez had surrendered three walks in the inning. It was the second time in the game he had walked three batters to load the bases. Read that previous sentence again… It was the second time in the game Sanchez walked the bases loaded.

OK… So the guy can’t locate. He’s in trouble. And at this point, he’d thrown around 109 pitches and he had practically stopped throwing his fastball entirely. Aside from an Asdrubal Cabrera double in the first inning, he had scattered a few hits… but that’s largely because he wasn’t around the strike zone. Sanchez was fortunate the Indians hadn’t broken the game open by this point.

So in a nutshell, your starter isn’t throwing in a manner he which he normally pitches. He’s deep into a pitch count and losing what little steam he brought with him to the mound. He’s somehow kept the Royals in the game, with a deficit of just a single run. Do you…

A) Stick with him. It’s his jam, let him get out of it.
B) Thank your lucky stars you’re still in the game and pull him for another lefty that’s warm in the bullpen – Tim Collins.

Everyone probably chooses “B.” Except Yosty. He’s such a contrarian.

And as previously noted, a steady diet of change-ups and Hannahan hits a bases-clearing double.

Later in the game you have this situation… Royals are trailing 4-1. Hosmer walks to leadoff the inning, advances to second on a ground out and moves to third on a Moustakas single. Quintero whiffs, so we have runners on the corners and two out. All we’ve heard about is how the Royals have failed with runners in scoring position. Failing to get “The Big Hit.” Naturally, Our Mitch delivers a line drive down the right field line. Hosmer, of course, walks home. Moustakas is busting it around second and heading for third… This is a sure-fire double. And look! Shin Soo Choo – while he has a strong throwing arm – isn’t exactly flying to the corner to field the ball. This looks like a perfect opportunity to put two on the board and cut the deficit to a single run.

Screeeeeech!

Third base coach Eddie Rodriguez throws up the stop sign. Now, it’s difficult to tell from my couch, but it sure looked like Moustakas was at third the moment Choo fired the ball in from the corner. Meaning there was an outstanding chance that Moose scores. A better than outstanding chance.

Yet he was held at third.

Apparently, third base coaches get tight, too.

Unreal. The Royals have been running stupid all season and they now they back off? When they’re scuffling to score and are presented an opportunity on a silver platter? You absolutely have to send the runner in that situation. Have. To.

So in our two situations we have one where the Royals gave away two runs on a slow hook and failed to capitalize on a sure-fire run scoring opportunity. That’s a net loss of three runs.

Ballgame.

An all too familiar refrain.

The bats are still ice-cold and aside from Maier, nobody is delivering with runners in scoring position, but I’ll hang this loss on the coaching staff. Yost’s slow trigger and Rodriguez’s bizarre decision cost this team a great opportunity to break this slide. Instead it continues.

And I adjust the doomsday clock one minute closer to midnight.

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Written by Daniel Smiht about 3 years ago.

What this losing streak still boils down to is that we’re all still waiting for the offense. The starters, overall, have actually been competitive in most games, and while the bullpen has had those couple of meltdowns, the fact remains that if they’d bother to hit, they’d still have pulled out several of these. We expected pitching troubles, not offensive troubles.

Written by Farmer about 3 years ago.

Even Judge is losing it, which tells you something.

And I’d lay a lot more blame on the pitching. How much pressure does it put on the offense to have to rescue these guys every single night?

Written by Drew about 3 years ago.

I have been a Royals fan my entire life! I have been just blown away by this streak, because I was very confident that the Royals had great talent. So, I took it upon myself to do a little research that I’m sure a lot of people have done. A few tidbits from before last nights game….Hosmer has a BaBip of .184, Gordon is .225, and Francoeur is .288….so three of our top four hitters are having extreme bad luck. The same can be said for a few of our pitchers! Holland has an Opponents Babip of .591(WOW) and Mendoza is at .415! Its stats like these that keep me hoping that something better is just around the corner.

Trying to find a win in the next week – I don’t think the Royals would be the ‘favorite’ in the two remaining ‘at Cleveland’ games. Hoch vs. Jimenez, Mendoza vs. Tomlin. Best chance would be the Hoch game.

“What this losing streak boils down to is that we are waiting for the offense”

We would have been waiting a lot more often than not last year as well but the difference was we had Melky!

How the Tribe only put four on the board last night is a complete mystery i think they are as bad as us & i hear Choo is an injury doubt so i will put money on the Royals tonight & pray the streak comes to an end with Hoch!

A quote from the Tribe pundit who is the best broadcasting analyst in the game in my view “Hafner didnt even swing,the philosophy tonight is just dont swing with this guy (Sanchez)”

Written by Diggity Dawg about 3 years ago.

“And I adjust the doomsday clock one minute closer to midnight.”

Hurm.

Written by fb0252 about 3 years ago.

glad to read a nice post analyzing what actually occurred instead of more cheerleader/boobird stuff.

Q–has Yost’s game management style on repeated occasions indicated that Yost instead of playing to win the game, is coaching for down the road. One might guess Yost’s thought process in the 4th innning that he was leaving in Sanchez so that Sanchez would “learn” how to get out of tough situations ala the instruction of Hochevar. Yost is using games as teaching situations, which would be ok as far as it goes, except do u manage first to win and next to teach.

The failure to timely remove Sanchez, in addition to being a repeating refrain with Yost who always manages to pull a pitcher one pitch too late, is absurd on so many fronts including the fact that Sanchez is a rehabiliting pitcher who announced in Spring training that he really was short of being ready, who is without a fastball which is an injury indicator, and you leave the guy in for 115 pitches in April including the 4th inning where the guy has to max himself out already mightily struggling. Query only whether a confirmed idiot would have left Sanchez out there in that situation.

Glad to see Mitch Maier start to get his legs. As in the past, minute he starts hitting he’ll be on the pine. More Yost management style for players he wants to fail instead of succeed–see Aviles, Kila K.

Written by kcghost about 3 years ago.

I guess the Rodriguez thing didn’t bother me that much. If he had been the tying run I would have been more critical.

At least we didn’t witness the ignominy of a guy being asked to sac bunt with a runner on second and no outs.

Written by Rich about 3 years ago.

Drew:

Hosmer’s .184 BABIP is unbelievably bad luck, and Gordon’s .225 is very bad luck. Francoeur’s .288, however, is right around the average BABIP of .300 (his career average is .302). His .323 last year showed he was luckier last year than he is unlucky this year. The truth is, Francoeur is just not a very good hitter. That’s why one of the position player keys to this team being more competitive in the near future is Wil Myers being ready to take over RF by opening day 2013.

HOW DOES RODRIGUEZ NOT SEND MOOSE?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4-3 is a completely different ball game than 4-2. Maybe the pitcher feels the pressure and makes a mistake. Getz’s leadoff 2B (must be from his new “power approach”) is then the tying run! We keep finding new ways to make mistakes in games every night. Until we start playing smarter baseball, we will not win.

Written by Eric S about 3 years ago.

I can’t get drunk enough to watch this team anymore. Wonder which Hoch will show up tonight? The one that implodes in the 5th or the one that implodes in the 1st.

Written by Sean about 3 years ago.

Sanchez has been awful to this point. I’m sure a DL stint is coming since that seems to be the Royal way whenever someone struggles. What can be said? Every night it’s soemething. Bad baseball plays are becoming the norm.

During a 10, 11, 12 game losing streak, a streak in which Frenchy has done next to nothing and Hosmer has been pretty bad, they have both been given green lights to swing 3-0 with runners on. And of course, neither one could put the ball in play. Francouer last night wasn’t capable of hitting balls fair that are down the middle. He did of course hit a ball fair that was low and off the plate unfortunately. Gordon is on another planet right now.

Written by Fred about 3 years ago.

Getz’ new stance reminds me of Dustin Ackley if Dustin Ackley sucked.

Written by Axl about 3 years ago.

I’m ready for a Fetterolf pep talk. Are you still out there Jim? Will this team win again? Is 65 wins the new 85?

Written by Mike Wildeman about 3 years ago.

Two things. Ned said he was managing to win this year and not teach. Leaving Sanchez in to get out of his problem smells of last years teaching episodes. The second is not sending Moustakas. As I am watching the game, I see Hosmer cross the plate and turn and hold his hands up like one would do with the trailing runner telling them that they can stand up rather than slide. And then I waited and waited and waited and wondered if Moustakas fell in a hole on the way as he never appeared. To see Hosmer do that and have Moustakas held at third tells me that Eddie Rodriguez misread that play in a manner that is only fitting of this Royals streak. Frustrated but waiting for the worm to turn.

Written by bATMAN about 3 years ago.

I never believed this team would be in the running for most consecutive losses in a row by a modern team. This is purely on the Manager and coaching. Yost has to be terminated ASAP. Where is George Brett in all of this? Does he have anything to do with the player personnel or coaching? He’s listed and paid as a President of the Royals so I would think he would have a say. Is he okay with all of this losing? Has he thought about coaching?

Written by Abh about 3 years ago.

Sanchez FB velocity and lack of use makes me think the certain trip to the DL will be medically warranted, not just a reaction to the results.

Written by BATMAN about 3 years ago.

Go to the website didtheroyalswinlastnight.com. It is very fitting and simple. Hopefully we’ll see what it looks like when the answer is yes.

Written by ben about 3 years ago.

My final decision on this losing streak is that this is all karma for what happened with Frank White.

Written by Greg about 3 years ago.

Yeah, we were really winning big when White was in the booth. Makes perfect sense.

Written by joe about 3 years ago.

Sanchez was only able to run about 4 our of his last 30 pitches up over 85 mph, and i think one of them almost took one of the Indian’s head off.

I feel like he’s hurt or will end up with a mystery trip to the DL, but then again who’s going to replace him and do they really care if they ruin his arm. He feels like Meche all over except the Giants got the 2 good seasons and the Royals just get to finish the destruction of his elbow/shoulder/career.

My take on the streak is, they “should be at about 6 wins,” they’re playing bad and the guys that need to make big plays are not. However, I pretty much blame Yost for the 3 game difference with a combo of bunts(free outs)/stupid bullpen use/no feel at all for when a pitcher is in trouble/ and bad lineups.

(Mostly, that first one against the A’s when we’re rolling 2 wins vs an assumed power house team and he’s like oh hey Gordon you know you’ve sucked right? I bet you where all like hey it’s just 3 games no big deal, well guess what it’s a big deal, go sit and think about it, and just remember when you get back in the lineup, you hit or you sit…. no pressure)

So Hottovy is in for Jeffress & Cain isnt going to be able for a little while longer….

Written by Pittsburgh Royal about 3 years ago.

It looked to me like Rodriguez threw up the stop sign before Choo even picked the ball up on the track, because Moose was throttling down on his way into third.

If he had the arm swinging the whole way, I’m convinced Moose would have been two strides down the third base line before Choo even released the ball. So the ball would have been cutoff and there wouldn’t even been a play at the plate. It was appalling. And it cost them the chance to tie the game up in the ninth.

Written by Redunion about 3 years ago.

Kansas City fell into riots tonight as the Royals managed to win a baseball game.
Also what this means, of course one can never guess with Yost, is that Getz will be the lead-off man for the next several games.

Written by rickb about 3 years ago.

normally i would say why lead off with getz..but you ride the hot hand… 2 hits and a walk tonight…and a couple last night…might as well ride it while you can